When it comes to elemental life, the breath seems to be the master teacher. My trying to be present for the breath is very difficult. The breath: the first thing a new born does to signal life.The breath: the last thing the dying does to signal that they are done with this life (as we know it).

Fear- is the monster in my head when it comes to my studio practice. How do I make a body of work? What will the next painting be like? Will they/it be good enough? My imaginings about making art at times causes stress and obsessiveness about a future and opinions I have no control over.

Enjoy the moment, breath, enjoy what I have, enjoy what I am working on, and especially, enjoy the process.

I continue the effort to be aware of my breath not only for awareness potential, but I find that the breath, my breath, to be an anchor to my wandering, imaginative, never settled mind.

While in Peru visiting in-laws there was plenty of quiet time in the mornings to exercise, meditate, paint, or write. These are some of the meandering thoughts on a variety of topics. I have been reading a thought provoking book ‘Language Older than Words’ by Derrick Jenson, visited Art Museums, ate great Peruvian food in 5star as well as neighborhood restaurants, and drew a lot in my iPad using the Procreate app. We went to the beach below Barranco to catch some cleaner air and sunshine. For me it was also and opportunity to be with children and their families playing in the water, eating, digging holes, playing soccer and more.

Page one: culture, family, religion affects our perception of the world. It is as though we have layers of sunglasses on that distort our view of the real. To remove them is an ongoing practice that requires self reflection, a quieting of the mind, and/or being smacked by a life event that is beyond our usual experience. Lack of empathy, violence, lack of sensitivity, selfishness, and being manipulated is part of that life denying blindness. Examining an unexamined normal like consumerism will reveal not only the destruction of our environment, but of lives of children and laborers who work under conditions we would never put ourselves. That blindness accepts violence as a norm, abuse as a norm, sexism and racism as a norm, and more. Our life is sustained by other life, others labor, by our bodies, and by nature in all its forms. For me, it would be unimaginable not to have the few remaining redwoods to walk among, or the wilderness areas, or pesticide free food, etc. Impermance, death, time cannot be negotiated. I am 72 years old and I know that I have a limited time left on this earth in this form. But I have children and grandchildren that I care about and I want them to live in a world that is not on the brink of disaster every other month because of some stupidity that could have been avoided. According to the author Derrick Jenson we can start listening, listening to the wind, rain, trees, animals, insects, fish, deer, you choose, we are all in this together

Sculpture of young native Peruvian with Spanish tiles at Astrid’s and Gastón restaurant